Galria
Galria was a large landmass in the northern region of the Matoran Universe, formerly home to the Toa Cordak and presided over by Makuta Parrea. 80,000 years ago, it served as the island upon which the League of Six Kingdoms met their demise. History The island of Galria was originally created by the Great Beings and intended to be part of the Matoran Universe. While the landmass' specific purpose remains unclear, it can be presumed beyond reasonable doubt that it was at one time intended as the headquarters of the universe's Toa population. With a fledgling Matoran population taking up residence on the shores of the island, an unknown Turaga was appointed to preside over the settlement. Charged with safe-guarding the Matoran Universe at an early point in its development, the first Toa Team, the Toa Cordak, were stationed on Galria for a period of time, before they were ultimately drawn away from the region to meet the challenges of a number of unruly inhabitants, most notable of which was the Zyglak minority in the southern-most region of the world. Spending much of his time on the island, the team's leader, Toa Lesovikk, developed a close friendship with Sarda and Idris, two Matoran villagers with whom he shared a great kinship. Venturing deep into the underground recesses of the island and learning the legend of Marendar, however, the local Turaga gradually grew insane, unable to balance the prospect of the inevitable destruction of the Toa. Out of fear, he notably banished the island's entire Matoran population to the realm of Karzahni, believing them to be safer on a different island. With the final clash between the Toa Cordak and the Zyglak resulting in the deaths of seven Toa, Lesovikk returned to Galria as the only surviving member. Learning of the Turaga's decision too late, the Toa of Air would spend the rest of his life attempting to enter Karzahni and rescue the Matoran of Galria. Despite this, however, he never returned to the island, harrowed by the extent of his failure and vanishing from the face of the universe. During this time, the Great Being known as Velika also notably established a laboratory in the dark recesses deep within the island's complex cave system. Privately developing weapons and technology, Velika's Laboratory notably emitted a technology-dampening frequency onto the island above, making it impossible to use technological devices in the arid desert region of the landmass. Following the establishment of the Brotherhood of Makuta, Galria was selected as the ideal environment in which to situate a Spiny Stone Ape colony, a species that favored isolated rocky regions. In spite of this, the island's ecosystem became something of a personal project for Makuta Parrea, a young mutagenist with a vested interest in the Fusa species. Owing to her influence, the Fusa became the most populous species on the island, driving the Spiny Stone Apes into higher southern altitudes and establishing themselves in the central belt. With gradual expansion and development of the various coastal settlements taking place during the rise of the League of Six Kingdoms, Galria was notably seized by Barraki Pridak 80,000 years ago, who was known to have marched his army through the region and established a small stronghold. Largely uninhabited, Galria's infrastructure was consolidated and the island underwent a process of rapid urbanization in the hopes that it would one day compete with Metru Nui, Xia and Stelt. Placing the majority of his army on Galria, Pridak temporarily used the landmass as his base of operations. Following the downfall of the regime, however, the structures and roads created to accommodate Pridak's troops fell into a state of disrepair and the island was once again claimed by nature. Some time later, Makuta Miserix spearheaded a repopulation effort after the Great Disruption, relocating a displaced village of Matoran to the island in order to keep the dome sustainable. Owing to her original interest in the island, Makuta Parrea was assigned to oversee Galria, keeping a watchful eye on the Matoran and aiding in their resettlement effort for several years until she eventually settled into her own affairs At an unknown point in the history of the Matoran Universe, a group of Toa traveled to Galria in the hopes of setting up a headquarters and expanding their numbers. With a significant number of the local Matoran receiving Toa Stones as a result, Galria came to be populated largely by Toa. Over the ensuing centuries, the island gained a reputation among Toa as a place to safely train and pass on Toa Power to worthy successors, owing to the tenacity of the local Matoran and the chequered past of the island. Following the creation of the Visorak species, a number of Virakan refugees were known to have made their way to Galria, settling in the mountainous regions of the island and forming tenuous ties with the local Toa. 3000 years ago, on the eve of the Toa/Dark Hunter War in Metru Nui, Toa Mangai Naho was known to have evaded capture and traveled across the Silver Sea in search of reinforcements. Landing on Galria, the Toa of Water entreated the local Turaga for aid repelling the Dark Hunters in Metru Nui. With the Turaga proving hesitant to involve himself in the affairs of Metru Nui, Naho was ultimately able to persuade him to directly confront Galria's grim past, ensuring that one hundred Toa would be send to join the war effort and repel the Dark Hunters from Metru Nui's shores in order to compensate the one hundred Matoran lost on the island. Returning through the Sea Gates, Toa Naho led the legion of Toa in an open attack against the invading Dark Hunters, orchestrating the release of the Toa Mangai and shifting the conflict in favor of the Toa. Under Lhikan's leadership, the Toa Mangai devised offensive strategies to repel the various Dark Hunter attacks, ultimately winning the war owing to the Toa of Galria. Met with open criticism on Xia, the activities of the Toa during the war served only to further distance the interests of the Toa from those of the denizens of the wider Matoran Universe, who were inconvenienced by the conflict and saw the confrontation as entirely unnecessary. Furthermore, the organization of the Toa into a military unit aroused considerable doubts in their collective moral conviction. Galria was heavily damaged when when a fragment of Aqua Magna collided with Teridax's head during his battle with Mata Nui. The surviving inhabitants evacuated the Matoran Universe for the surface of Spherus Magna. Landscape Fusa Plains The Fusa Plains were an arid region located in the center of the island. It was the largest, driest, and hottest portion of the island's ecosystem and due to its extreme climate, the region is almost impossible to successfully cross. A result of natural desertification, the Fusa Plains expanded exponentially in the months surrounding the Great Disruption, engulfing many of the original roads and structures constructed by Pridak's troops. Riddled with pockets of quicksand, the dunes of the Fusa Plains were widely regarded as a treacherous region. In the eastern region of the Fusa Plains' rolling dunes was situated the Torvus Rock, a gigantic geological formation, named for the Toa Cordak of Stone. Considering its flat, barren surroundings, the rock would appear supernaturally out of place. Ancient Matoran lore recounted that the formation was dropped from the heavens by the Great Beings as a demonstration of their power and anger. Regardless of its true origin, the rock was the only notable landscape feature of the barren desert and was thus used as a guidepost by locals who traversed the region. In addition to being a visual landmark, the rock was also composed of a metallic ore, which gave it magnetic qualities. Following the evolution of the Makuta species and the subsequent genocide of all Toa of Magnetism and Iron, a lone Toa of Magnetism was known to have taken shelter in a cave drilled into Torvus Rock. Ancient Shrine In the dark underground recesses beneath the surface of the island, there exists a complicated tunnel network filled with ancient shrines, dedicated to historic Toa and figures of Matoran legend. Considered a site of remembrance by later occupants of the island, the Ancient Shrine fulfilled a similar purpose as the Great Temple in Ga-Metru, serving as the spiritual center of the island whilst housing relics and Kanohi needed by Toa. Toa Orde was known to have visited the Ancient Shrine at one point in his career, seeking guidance on his quest to defeat the League of Six Kingdoms. However, the Toa Tool that was intended to help him achieve this destiny - the Staff of Protodermis - had been looted by early Dark Hunters and presented to The Shadowed One. Notably, the Great Being known as Velika had a laboratory within the Ancient Shrine, which he utilized for an unknown period of time. Emanating from this laboratory is a technology-dampening frequency, which renders conventional electronic devices inoperable across the Fusa Plains. Known Inhabitants *Sarda - Formerly *Idris - Formerly *Toa Lesovikk - Formerly *Toa Nikila - Formerly; Deceased *Makuta Parrea - Deceased *A Population of 50+ Toa - Status Unknown *An Insane Turaga - Formerly; Status Unknown *At least one replacement Turaga - Formerly; Status Unknown Trivia To Be Added Category:Myths and Legacy Category:Islands Category:Northern Islands